Michael Vey is a series of young adult (Science Fiction) novels written by Richard Paul Evans. It is also the name of the series’ primary character, a teen with special powers.

The Story

Michael Vey, teenage boy diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, has the ability to generate electricity from the palms of his hands. At some point in his life, Michael is attached by bullies and, in the process of using his powers to fend them off, he reveals his unique gifts to Taylor, a popular cheerleader from his school.

Upon discovering that Taylor also possesses special abilities the pair is shocked to learn that they are connected by so much more than their special powers, chief amongst which is the fact that not only where they born in the same hospital, but both their births were assisted by a special device called an EMI.

These discoveries propel the teens down a path of adventure, Michael and Taylor coming to learn that not only are they not the only super powered beings in the world, but they must stand together to survive the machinations of a secret organization hunting them down for some nefarious purpose.

The Author

Richard Paul Evans is an American author born on October 1962. The writer attended Cottonwood High School, eventually graduating from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1984.

During his stint as an advertising executive, Richard wrote a Christmas story initially for his children’s consumption. Upon finding the search for a publisher or agent too difficult to contend with, the author eventually self-published his story in 1993, the novella now titled ‘The Christmas Box’, which he disseminated in his community.

‘The Christmas Box’ quickly became a local best seller, this compelling Richard to publish the book nationally. ‘The Christmas Box’ was a hit, reaching the #2 position on the New York Times Bestseller list. It was an achievement that incited an auction for the publishing rights from a number of giants in the industry, Richard eventually choosing Simon $ Schuster, who paid Richard a $4.2 million advance.

‘The Christmas Box’ was finally released in hardcover in 1995, breaking records as the first ever novel to reach the top of the New York Times bestseller list both with both paperback and hardcover editions.

A Television movie starring Richard Thomas and Maureen O’Hara was adapted from the book in the same year.

Over the years, Richard Paul Evans has written dozens of books, all national best sellers, this including novels targeted towards children and featuring Christian themed stories appealing to family values.

With books like 1996’s ‘TimePiece’, 1998’s ‘The Locket’ and 2003’s ‘A Perfect Day’ receiving the Television movie treatment, Richard eventually created the Christmas Box house international in 1997, purposed towards constructing shelters and even availing services to contend with the needs of abused children. The organization has served tens of thousands of children over the years.

Richard Paul Evans has a wife (Keri), and five children. His work on the Michael Vey series has further cemented his place as a bestselling author within the young adult genre.

The Prisoner of Cell 25

As far as most people at Meridian High School are concerned, Michael Vey couldn’t be more ordinary, at least as far as 14 year old’s go. However, even without his Tourette’s syndrome, Michael is far from the average teenager, not with his special ability to generate electricity.

For a while, Michael thought he was unique, until he encountered Taylor, a cheerleader with special powers. With the assistance of his friend Ostin, Michael and Taylor embark on a journey to determine the source of their powers.

The activities of the trio quickly bring them into the cross hairs of a powerful organization determined to control them and, in the process, rule the world. Michael Vey will have to depend on his powers, wits and the help of his friends to survive.

Fans of the young adult genre have compared Richard Paul Evan’s first novel in the Michael Vey Series to ‘I Am Number Four’. Primarily targeted towards middle grade readers and up, there is a lot to commend about this novel.

Introducing a relatively unique concept, the novel is pretty engaging and fast paced, appealing to both boys and girls with its strong protagonists and interesting supporting characters. With a largely likable cast, Richard’s writing style is very simple to follow.

And even with the gore and violence, ‘The Prisoner of Cell 25’ is a very innocuous book, devoid of gratuitous sex or swearing, this explaining why it appeals to so many young readers.

The fact that it is primarily aimed towards a younger audience, however, is ostensible, especially with regards to the interactions between the characters and the manner in which the entire story progresses, this most likely to alienate a few readers.

Rise of the Elgen

Michael Vey is special; he has the unique ability to generate electricity, and he’s not the only one. Along with the telepathically gifted Taylor and his friend Ostin, a tecno-genius, the trio forms the Electroclan, an alliance purposed towards aiding them in their efforts to fight the quickly burgeoning order of Elgen whose goal it is to destroy them.

And now Doctor Hatch, leader of Elgen, has kidnapped Michael’s mother. Following their narrow escape of Elgen’s trap, ‘rat fires’ in South America impel the group to journey to the jungles of Peru. There they will encounter new, possibly even more powerful, foes as unexpected challenges teach Michael of the true extent of Elgen’s rise to power.

The second novel in the Michael Vey series continues to build upon the momentum of the first, justifying the popularity surrounding Richard Paul Evan’s work with a story that is both fast paced and intriguing.

Some readers have complained about the cast, which seemed to grow so large in some places but with many characters proving to be all but irrelevant; and the fact that the novel ends on a cliffhanger does not help matters.

None the less the world building should be commended; even as a relatively ordinary book following the typical approach to storytelling common in novels within the Young Adult Genre, ‘Rise of the Elgen’ is no less entertaining or thrilling, appealing to the young as well as older readers. Richard’s ability to seamlessly switch between first person and third person perspectives is also quite commendable.

Rather than announce an upcoming book, we're paying tribute to our most popular author of the year from a survey we did. That author is Louise Penny, who writes the Inspector Gamache books. Trust me when I say this - this is a tremendous serious about a Chief Inspector in Quebec. Buy it for yourself, buy it as a gift - but get the first book in the series, Still Life and see why it's our most popular book series. Read more about it.

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Our author of the month is the Canadian author Louise Penny We’re paying tribute to Louise this month. Her Gamache series is simply incredible and each book just gets better. If you haven’t read it yet – start now!

Did You Know…

After graduating from school, Dan Brown then went to Amherst College to obtain a degree in English and Spanish. He graduated in the year of 1986 and then later spent numerous years trying to get himself established as a singer cum songwriter and pianist, but unfortunately was met with very minimal success.